Do we really want our children raised by the Federal Government?
Interesting.
Liberal stalwarts are suggesting that Michael Ignatieff's recent effort at relevance will expose the Conservative Achilles tendon - Ignatieff's so-called, "Fight for Families".
They suggest that because the Conservatives refuse to create a new massive expansion of government involvement in the raising of our children, the Liberals and their national daycare program will prove to be the Liberal horse to ride to the next election win.
They suggest that Conservative comments that such a program would result in "other people" raising our children is an insult to the 50% of parents who rely on daycare for their children.
I say that's garbage.
Having a child is, and should be, considered a significant responsibility. It isn't easy. And no one going into the process of having and raising a child should consider that it's easy.
But that's just what the Liberal plan proposes.
Don't worry.
Have a child, have ten - all you have to worry about is feeding them dinner and putting them to bed. The rest of the responsibility will be ours. And we'll make sure they are raised "properly" by your trusted Liberal "village".
You know - like bullying them if they happen to bring their lunch with them in a sandwich bag.
Like explaining to them how their parents religious beliefs are wrong.
Maybe the child care you want is your child's grandparents. Not under the Liberal plan - you see, they wouldn't be "qualified".
The subsidy only relates to "government daycare" - you know, the kind of place where they can control program content - like explaining how mom and dad are killing polar bears if they drive a 4X4 - never mind that they live 60 miles from Prince Albert and often drive a hundred miles a weekend to take their kids to and from hockey.
Further - as has been shown in Quebec, the program is not likely to solve the problem, as it does not guarantee by any means that supply will meet demand. As has been shown in Quebec, long waiting lists for parents seeking government daycare continue - and because it is open to all, experience shows that it doesn't answer the needs of those who need it most. The experience in Quebec has shown, in fact, that only 18% of spaces are held by parents with income under $40,000.00 per year, while 58% of those spaces are taken up by parents with income over $60,000.00 per year.
So.. we fund daycare for people who don't really need it, and exclude people who do.
And that leads the another concern - the cost.
$5 billion dollars. And that's only the Fed's share. The plan is premised on Provincial matching funding - so double that to $10 billion.
And like the Gun Registry, you know if they say $10 billion, really, they are talking something like $15 billion.
$15 billion to make it easier for people to have children.
Of course, it makes it easier for parents to work, and, arguably, that improves exploitation of a fully enabled workforce. And maybe that's where we're going.
It works great, in China. Where parents often leave their children in residential schools during the week while they work - the children from 2 to 6 in government daycare 24 hours per day for five or even six days a week.
Good idea?
I don't know.. we tried the residential school system once in this country and it didn't work out so well.
4 comments:
The Liberals must be desperate to keep flogging this dead horse. Any sensible person knows the Country simply can't afford a National daycare program.
If you look at the downtown streets in any city in Canada, you'll see dozens of former mental patients living in dumpsters and doorways. Many of them were housed in Mental health facilities,but the facilities were closed because the cost was too great.
So now we have a few thousand helpless mentally ill people we can't house,for a relatively modest cost,but we're supposed to believe the money can be found for hundreds of thousands of children in daycare!
If the Liberals ever DO foist this vote buying scheme on the public, we can expect national bankruptcy within ten years, soviet style.
DMorris
If we were not so over-taxed by every level of government and user-fee'd to death, parents could afford their own day care, or better yet, one parent could afford to stay home or work part-time.
The libs are flogging the tax cut for corporations while at the same time flogging for national day care. Do they not realize those costs are deductible, thereby denying the govt of much needed tax money to fund their weird and unworkable ideas.
Every year I have clients with over 5000.00 per year child care, deducted off the lowest income earner in the family. It still bogs my mind that some mother, with a spouse, earns around 15,000 per year, pays 5000.00 for child care plus other deductions and thinks she is ahead of the game. I tell the husband, make her quit working and get that 10,000+ deduction for her, plus amt for dependents and increase your refund by about the same as the net income of spouse. Give her the refund. Plus, save 5000. child care, plus all the costs of her getting to work. He could also give her the 5000.00 for the year to do with as she pleases.
My kids were born in 2000 and 2001.
The Liberals were in power until 2006.
My first born turns twelve next year.
Even if I wanted this program:
Hey Liberals.
You're too late.
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